Double click rose bonbon cosmos

Always nice to be greeted on the driveway by saucer-sized pink flowers

Double click rose bonbon cosmos is lilac-coloured and frilly, which is all anybody can really ask for from a flower.  It has been a staple in my summer annuals for the past two years, and will, if my seed collecting works, continue to do so.  It first caught my attention because the tiny picture shown on Thompson and Morgan's website shows these great ruffled flowers like skirts from period dramas on TV, and im a sucker for a ruffle. I can't say I have found my own blooms to be quite as impressive as the picture led me to believe, but they are solid bloomers nonetheless.

The positives of this particular cosmos are - rose bonbon forms quite a clump of ferny stems peppered in these sizeable lilac blooms which sort of flop about, looking rather pretty in the garden but also making a very nice cut flower. They flower all summer, one plant started in about June or July and although that one is on its last legs I have others still in full bloom with buds to come.

They have a great frilly structure - great to look at but also prime earwig hiding territory

The downsides - I have had a couple of complete stems just shear clean off from the main plant, not sure if this is to do with gravity or dampness but its a little annoying. Also the ruffles in the flower heads are absolute magnets for earwigs.  Pick a bunch and shake them and at least three will plop out and require removing.  And lastly they are an absolute pain to try and collect seed from.

Im presuming as I grew these from seed that if I collect my own seed the resulting plants should at least be similar to the parents if not identical copies.  I am loathe to have to re-buy a proper packet of seed if collecting my own works, especially as I find it quite hard to get them to germinate. They require germinating in a bag and once the first seed has germinated you've got to whip the bag off quick and it means the other seeds are wasted. So I have been allowing the plants to go to seed, which probably hasn't given me as many blooms as I would otherwise have had, but I wanted to try it.

What I have found is that 95% do not create seed that can be collected.  If the conditions are not exactly right, and im not totally sure what those conditions are but I think dry weather is preferable, the bud just closes after flowering and then just rots shut.  You end up with lots of little blackened withered buds that are no use to anybody.  I have had about 3 proper seed heads in total.  When the seed is properly ready it splays back open like some little macehead of war, but very very few have done this.  Instead I have been collecting the seed from heads that have yet to decide if they want to wither or open.  I know this means the seed is a bit young and not properly dried so I have been keeping them indoors to dry out, as you can do with some seeds and hoping this works.  I now have a nice little envelop full so next year I will give it a go with them and if it doesn't work out snap up a proper packet online, I don't want to be without!

Examples of what the few viable seed heads actually look like.
 The long spiny seeds splay out like a mace when ready

I feel like I am playing a risky game here because if I wait too long the window of opportunity for buying some will close.  The reason I am doing this though is because I want to grow more varieties of cosmos, they are such great flowers after all. I have already purchased one packet, although I have subsequently mislaid it so I will have to wait until another time to reveal it. I also have my eye on a variety called cupcake that has one single joined petal rather than separate petals.  It doesn't appear to be  listed on the website anymore so I will be keeping a beady eye out hoping for its return, and my eyes open for other good varieties!